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The descendants of a Jewish spouses have initiated legal proceedings against New York's Metropolitan Museum, claiming that a Vincent van Gogh art piece was looted by the Third Reich.

Origins of the Dispute

According to the court documents, Hedwig and Frederick Stern acquired the painting, titled Olive Picking, in the mid-1930s. A year after, they were compelled to leave their residence in Munich, Germany prior to World War II.

The complaint contends that the Met, which obtained the masterpiece in the 1950s for $125,000, must have realized it was almost certainly confiscated property. The family are now demanding the return of the canvas along with damages.

In the decades since World War II, this plundered piece has been often and discreetly exchanged, bought and sold in and through New York, states the lawsuit.

Forced Emigration

Hedwig and Frederick Stern departed from the city of Munich to America in the late 1930s with their offspring due to the oppressive Nazi regime. Nevertheless, they were prevented from taking the Van Gogh piece, which was painted by the Dutch post-impressionist in the late 19th century.

Before they left, the regime designated the painting as property of the state and forbade the Sterns from bringing it with them. Once approved from a Third Reich agent, a representative assigned by the Nazis disposed of the artwork on the family's behalf. However, the money from the transaction were held in a restricted account, which the authorities later confiscated.

Later Transactions

Around 1948, or shortly after, the canvas arrived in the United States and was purchased by a prominent figure, among the richest individuals in the US. Subsequently, it was exchanged through a gallery to the institution, which then passed it on to Greek shipping magnate Goulandris and his partner, Elise Goulandris, in 1972.

The Goulandris pair set up the Goulandris Foundation in 1979, which manages a gallery in Athens where the painting is currently exhibited.

Court Allegations

The institution and a surviving nephew of the magnate are identified in the suit. The legal action alleges that the Goulandris family and its associated organizations have hidden and obscured the masterpiece's history and location from the plaintiffs.

To this day, the Goulandris Defendants continue to obscure the manner and time the institution came into ownership of the artwork; the Stern family's ownership of the artwork from the mid-1930s; and the truth that the Third Reich looted the canvas from the heirs, pressured the Sterns into selling it via a regime representative, and took the proceeds of the sale.

Earlier Lawsuits

The family submitted a related lawsuit in CA in recently, but it was dismissed in 2024. An appeal was also dismissed in spring 2025.

Institution's Statement

The complaint states that the Met's purchase of the artwork was sanctioned by the museum's expert, the museum's curator of European art and one of the world's foremost experts on Nazi-era looted art. Rousseau and the Met knew or should have known that the masterpiece had almost certainly been stolen by the Nazis.

The Met responded that it is committed to its ongoing pledge to resolve Nazi-era claims.

A spokesperson remarked: At no time during The Met's ownership of the painting was there any record that it had previously been owned to the family – in fact, that knowledge did not become available until several decades after the masterpiece left the Met's possession.

The museum's disposal of Olive Picking met the Met's guidelines for removal from collection – namely, it was recorded that the piece was judged to be of inferior standard than other works of the comparable nature in the holdings. While the institution upholds its stance that this artwork entered the collection and was sold lawfully and well within all guidelines and policies, the Met welcomes and will consider any further evidence that emerges.

Foundation's Defense

A lawyer on behalf of the Goulandris Foundation commented: The institution is a esteemed foundation in Greece. The effort to take legal action against the Foundation and the Goulandris family in the US upon inaccurate and partial claims was earlier rejected, multiple times. We are certain it will be once more.